Healthy living practices in families and child health in Taiwan.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to examine the hypothesis that inexpensive and feasible healthy living practices in families, particularly in disadvantaged families, can promote the health of children.

METHODS

The dataset was obtained from the Taiwan Birth Cohort Study and comprises a nationally representative sample of 19,712 3-year-old children in Taiwan. The Child Healthy Living Practices in Families (CHLPF) Index, which rates various items of personal hygiene, vegetable and fruit consumption, physical activity, time spent viewing television, and exposure to smoking, was created, and a logistic regression analysis was conducted to test the hypothesis.

RESULTS

Higher CHLPF levels were significantly and consistently associated with better child health in families of all income levels. More specifically, the prevalence of ill health in children from poor families with a high CHLPF level was actually lower than that in children from affluent families with a low CHLPF level.

CONCLUSIONS

The implementation of low-cost and practical healthy living practices in families can effectively improve child health, especially that of disadvantaged children.